Blackout: The Darkest Night
- August 19, 2021
- MiniChimera
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"Blackout: The Darkest Night" is a non-linear interactive fiction game set in a dark modern universe, with influences from World of Darkness, Lovecraft, and Twin Peaks. As the amnesiac protagonist in the city of New Wenders, you must face your fears and hidden memories, with your courage, sanity, and fitness affecting your choices and paths. The game explores themes of self-discovery and overcoming inner adversaries.
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Mac OS
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Reviews
- The art and atmosphere are well done, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game offers good replayability with multiple endings and choices that matter.
- The writing is solid, with an intriguing mystery at its core.
- The pacing is inconsistent, with slow text delivery and unnecessary repetition.
- Some dialogue and scenes can break immersion, leading to a less cohesive narrative.
- The game is relatively short, which may not justify the time investment for some players.
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story is well-written and features intriguing gameplay and solid characterization, but some players find the implementation of story branches clumsy, leading to repetitive flashbacks and occasional continuity issues. While the central mystery is engaging, the pacing can feel slow, and some players may feel satisfied with the narrative after a short playthrough, limiting their motivation to explore multiple endings. Overall, the game offers a polished presentation and interesting locations, but the depth of the story may not sustain long-term interest for all players.
“The story is well written, the art is cool and the gameplay aspect is intriguing enough.”
“It's really replayable, allowing you to learn more about the story and achieve different endings.”
“Good writing, solid characterization, neat locations, polished presentation, and a nice mystery at the core.”
“Could have used a few more soundtracks and the implementation of the story branches was a bit clumsy: in some playthroughs I received the same flashbacks more than once and he introduced himself more than once if I recall correctly.”
“It will be a while before I play through the game again, because it is too slow-paced for me to read through the same story.”
“Some of the paths do become a little compromised, continuity-wise, for example mentioning things later that you didn't experience earlier - so depending on the path you take, the story can be fully coherent or a little incoherent.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title features an intriguing design complemented by a well-written story and appealing art. However, players may encounter some non-sequitur scenes, a common issue in choose-your-own-adventure games.
“The story is well written, the art is cool, and the gameplay aspect is intriguing enough.”
“I ran into a few non-sequitur scenes during my gameplay, unfortunately, a problem that is all too common in choose-your-own-adventure style games.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through its choose-your-own-adventure format, featuring five distinct endings that encourage players to explore different choices in multiple playthroughs. Additionally, the option to skip previously completed puzzles enhances the experience, allowing for quicker exploration of alternative paths. Overall, players can expect several hours of gameplay to fully experience all outcomes.
“Good replayability with the ability to skip through puzzles you completed on previous attempts.”
“The game has 5 endings that you can achieve by making different choices in various playthroughs, so in terms of replayability, you have plenty of hours to invest in the game to see all endings.”
“The game has 5 endings that you can achieve by making different choices in various playthroughs, so in terms of replayability, you have some hours to invest in the game to see all the endings.”
“A fun little choose-your-own-adventure game, with some lovely art and a decent amount of options to encourage replayability.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music and sound effects in the game are considered lower quality compared to other elements, with some players noting a lack of variety in the soundtracks. Additionally, the implementation of music during story branches feels clumsy, leading to repetitive flashbacks and introductions in certain playthroughs.
“Could have used a few more soundtracks, and the implementation of the story branches was a bit clumsy. In some playthroughs, I received the same flashbacks more than once and was introduced to the same character multiple times, if I recall correctly.”
“The music and sound effects are lower quality than the rest of the game.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by well-executed art and effective descriptive writing, creating an engaging environment; however, some dialogue detracts from the overall experience.
“The art is really well done, and the atmosphere is beautifully immersive, creating a captivating experience.”
“The descriptions and atmosphere setting are impressive, drawing players into the game's world.”
“The overall ambiance of the game is enchanting, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
